Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai has called the stress of deciding which characters stay and go in each iteration of Nintendo’s brawler “almost deadly”. It’s not a decision the man has made lightly for the incoming Wii U and 3DS editions.

Speaking with Polygon, Sakurai said the decision is, “almost deadly in the amount of time it takes me,” and added “The amount of stress I feel, it’s almost to the brink of death.

“Because it’s not just a matter of me personally thinking this character or that character is going to be in the game; it’s that we also have the game balance, animation, graphics and sound to think about in order to make that character fully fleshed out in that universe. I have to think about all of that when I go through this decision-making process.”

There’s also the matter of fan favourites being culled, and the impact that omissions have on the balancing process. Sakurai continued, “Whether it’s a minor character or a character that is one of the most highly skilled and most played, if that character is removed from the game, the people who live for that character in Smash Bros. are going to have their feelings hurt.

“I think we have to really consider that, so I take a very serious, hard look at that and have empathy for the players who look for these type of characters when we’re making these decisions.”

Sakurai recently stated that it’s unlikely Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS will have any more third-party characters beyond Mega Man. Would you like to see more? Let us know below.